Chesapeake grows champion oak trees

9:18 PM,
Mar. 17, 2013

Gary Williamson, right, and Andy Klatt, second from right, admire the Laurel Oak tree that is believed to be around 300 years old in Chesapeake on March 1. The tree, which belongs to Haggerty, is 25 feet around and 83 feet tall. Chesapeake is the home of the three trees that are listed in national registry for the largest of their kind in the country.

Written by

The Virginian-Pilot

John Haggerty is accustomed to the attention by now: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, naturalists, writers, scientists, photographers - all tromping through his living room for a peek in the backyard.

When he swings open the back door and shows off his treasure, the reaction is usually the same: ooohs and ahhs at the giant, gnarled tree towering above them.

No wonder. The tree is a national champion, the largest laurel oak recorded in the United States, as measured by trunk width, tree height and canopy combined. For years it has been on the National Register of Big Trees, a list maintained by the group ...